Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission (EC) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday, accusing them of a coordinated conspiracy to destabilize the state. Addressing a massive election rally in Murshidabad, Banerjee demanded Shah’s immediate resignation, alleging that he orchestrated the large-scale transfer of top state officials to weaken her administration. She claimed the EC’s “failure to protect” the seven judicial officers held hostage in Malda on Wednesday was a direct result of the poll panel taking over law and order while sidelining the state’s elected leadership.
The Chief Minister’s remarks follow a harrowing incident in the Kalia Chowk area of Malda, where an unruly mob gheraoed judicial officers for several hours over the deletion of names from electoral rolls. While the Supreme Court has ordered a CBI or NIA probe into the “brazen” attack, Banerjee argued that the responsibility lies with the EC-appointed officers who replaced the state’s Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and DGP. “All my powers have been taken away,” Banerjee lamented, claiming she only learned of the hostage situation from a journalist at midnight because the new administrative heads failed to brief her.
Key allegations and claims from the Murshidabad rally:
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Voter Deletion Crisis: Banerjee alleged that 1.2 crore names were initially deleted from the voter lists, primarily targeting minority-heavy districts like Malda, Murshidabad, and Uttar Dinajpur. She noted that while 22 lakh names have been restored through adjudication, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) remains a “BJP game plan” to disenfranchise voters.
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President’s Rule: The TMC chief warned that the unrest is being manufactured to justify the imposition of President’s Rule in West Bengal and the subsequent cancellation of the Assembly polls.
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Call for Restraint: With the NIA and CBI now authorized to probe the Malda incident, Banerjee urged the Muslim community to remain calm, particularly during Friday prayers. She warned that violent protests would only lead to arrests and further deletion of names from the rolls.
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Internal “Traitors”: Drawing a parallel to the Battle of Plassey, she cautioned her supporters against “backstabbing” from within the fold and criticized external leaders—obliquely referencing AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi—for attempting to divide the minority vote to benefit the BJP.
Banerjee maintained that while the public’s grievance over deleted names is “genuine,” the violent protest in Malda has “destroyed everything” by allowing critics to label the state’s law and order as failing. She reaffirmed her commitment to a peaceful fight, stating that the Supreme Court was right to take note of the incident but insisted that the blame resides with the Union government’s interference. As the state remains highly polarized ahead of the elections, the Chief Minister’s demand for Amit Shah’s resignation signals an intensifying confrontation between the TMC and the Centre.
